The Rachel Corrie trial opens today with the Israeli defence ministry in the dock.

A 23-year-old American activist stands in front of an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza. The bulldozer drives over her, crushing her to death. These are the facts.

Rachel Corrie, along with colleagues from the International Solidarity Movement, was trying to prevent Israel from bulldozing homes in Rafah, close to the Egyptian border. Her activism cost her her life in March 2003.

A colleague said at the time, "Many times the bulldozer came up to us and buried us with dirt, but they always stopped."

Corrie's parents want to know the truth about their daughter's death, whether the killing was intentional and who is accountable.

Of course it's the Palestinian people Israel should be apologising to for continuing to steal their land. Is the Israeli ruling class divided among itself as this seems to be the only way to explain the ineptness of the announcement yesterday of more land grabbing which seemed designed to embarass its most powerful ally - the US?They do have a lot on their plaate to be worryng about - from Iran to Rachel Corrie.

Israel apologised to Joe Biden today for announcing a plan to build 1,600 homes on occupied Palestinian land during his visit, after the US vice-president launched a strongly worded attack on the planned construction in an East Jerusalem settlement.

An Israeli cabinet minister apologised for the timing of the announcement but not for its substance. "This should not have happened during a visit by the US vice-president," the welfare minister, Isaac Herzog, told Army Radio. "This is a real embarrassment and now we have to express our apologies for this serious blunder."

Israel will allow two senior international visitors to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip, in a rare departure from policy, during their upcoming visits to the region, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

Israel has denied almost all international guests entry from its territory to the Hamas-controlled enclave since its offensive there last year in order to isolate the Palestinian Islamist group that calls for the Jewish state's destruction.

The ministry said in a statement that the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, who will visit next week, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who visits in a few weeks, will be able to go to Gaza.

"In response to the special requests ... Israel has decided to facilitate their entry to the Gaza Strip in order to allow them to get a first hand impression of humanitarian activities taking place in that area," the statement said.